Kawa no Hikari

Kawa no Hikari

First edition novel cover, released July 2007
川の光
Genre Adventure
Novel
Written by Hisaki Matsuura
Illustrated by Kazuko Shimazu
Published by Chuokoron-Shinsha
Published July 25, 2007
Anime television film
Directed by Tetsuo Hirakawa
Music by Kurihara Masami
Studio Gallop
Network NHK General TV
Released June 20, 2009
Runtime 75 minutes

Kawa no Hikari (川の光, literally, "Light of the River") is a 2007 Japanese children's adventure novel written by Hisaki Matsuura and featuring illustrations by Kazuko Shimazu. It was originally serialized in the newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun between July 25, 2006 and April 23, 2007, before being released in bound format by publisher Chuokoron-Shinsha exactly one year after its periodical debut. The book was later adapted into an animated TV special by Studio Gallop, which aired on NHK General TV on June 20, 2009 as part of the network's "Save the Future" lineup, along with other environmentally-conscious programming.

The story takes place in modern Japan, and centers on a group of three rats, a father and two young sons, who must find their way back to their river home after being displaced by human construction workers.

Synopsis

A family of three rats, brothers Tata and Chichi, and their father, referred to only as "Dad", live in a tree trunk beside a river just outside Tokyo, just as their ancestors had for generations. However, sudden construction work by humans causes their home to be blocked off, forcing them to search for a new place to live upstream. Time becomes a factor as winter is fast approaching, leading the trio to venture in and around the dangerous city, encountering allies and enemies of all shapes and sizes.

Characters

The story primarily focuses on a family of three black rats:

Other characters include characters of various species:

Animated adaptation

In March 2009, voice actress Aya Hirano revealed on her blog that she would be voicing the character Tammy in an animated adaptation of the 2007 novel.[2] The special was directed by Tetsuo Hirakawa, and features animation by Studio Gallop,[3] as well as the theme song "I'm Here With You" written and performed by Yusa Mimori.[4] On June 20, the film was aired for the first time on NHK General TV as part of their "Save the Future" lineup, part of their Chikyū ECO 2009 ("Earth Ecology 2009") campaign to promote environmental awareness.[2] It was re-broadcast on NHK on December 20, 2009, and released on region 2 DVD in Japan on June 25, 2010.[4]

Reception

The Kawa no Hikari TV special was awarded first place for "Best Animated Feature" from both children's and adult's juries at the 27th annual Chicago International Children's Film Festival in 2010.[5] It would also be named one of four Grand Prix Best of Festival winners,[6] and receive a first-place "Golden Camera Award" in the field of animation from the US International Film & Video Festival, also in 2010.[7] That same year, the special would receive a Silver Award for Best Foreign Animation at the 16th annual Shanghai Television Festival,[8] as well as a Children Earth Vision Award from the Earth Vision Tokyo Environmental Film Festival.[9]

Sequels

To date, two follow-up novels have been released by original author Hisaki Matsuura. The first, Kawa no Hikari Gaiden (川の光 外伝 The River's Light Gaiden), is a side-story released on June 25, 2012, and tells the tale of a group of animals gathering in the forest at night.[10] A direct sequel to the original, Kawa no Hikari 2: Tammy wo Sukue! (川の光2 タミーを救え! The River's Light 2: Rescue Tammy!), released February 25, 2014, follows the further adventures of Tata and Chichi as they venture into the city to rescue their canine friend Tammy from kidnappers.[11]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 アニメワールド / 川の光 [Anime World / Kawa no Hikari] (in Japanese). NHK Broadcasting. Retrieved May 19, 2015.
  2. 1 2 "Kawa no Hikari Ecological Novel Adapted Into TV Anime". Anime News Network. March 28, 2009. Retrieved May 19, 2015.
  3. ぎゃろっぷ-作品履歴 [Gallop - Works History] (in Japanese). Studio Gallop. Retrieved May 19, 2015.
  4. 1 2 "川の光" [Kawa no Hikari]. NHK Enterprises. Retrieved May 19, 2015.
  5. "2010 CICFF Awards". Chicago International Children's Film Festival. 2010. Archived from the original on November 5, 2010. Retrieved May 19, 2015.
  6. "US International Film & Video Festival - Historical Best of Festival Winners". US International Film & Video Festival. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
  7. "US International Film & Video Festival Award Winners". US International Film & Video Festival. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
  8. "16th STVF > Recipient List of Magnolia Award". Shanghai Television Festival. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
  9. "AWARD-WINNING PROGRAMS". NHK Broadcasting. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
  10. 川の光 外伝 [Kawa no Hikari Gaiden] (in Japanese). Chuko. Retrieved May 19, 2015.
  11. 川の光2 [Kawa no Hikari 2] (in Japanese). Chuko. Retrieved May 19, 2015.
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